Mass Effect: Consequence
by IntuitionJo
Summary: The tale of an Ardat-Yakshi, hiding in plain sight at the pinnacle of Asari society. The delicate balance of her life is tipped when some information is leaked, and the battle for her survival begins anew.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The sterile white walls of the hallway echoed with a faint tapping sound. Sharp tones, filling all corners of the empty corridor. The only other noise contaminating the floor was the window, which allowed the odd gust of wind inside. The evening sun coming through the windows was an unfeeling red, offering no warmth.

The sound was emanating from the incessant rapping of a shoe against the floor. The owner of the shoe, a tall asari woman, sat otherwise perfectly still on the bench. She had composed herself with her legs crossed, and her left hand sitting in her lap. Her chin rested on the free arm, keeping her gaze level with the window across from her. Apart from her eyes occasionally darting about, there was no emotion on her face.

Since she had arrived at the hospital almost an hour before, she had been asked to wait outside the door next to her. Aside from the bench next to it, there was nothing differentiating this room from any of the others down the hallway. Staying in the confines of such an environment had made her restless, and to do so for so long was testing her patience. Still, she had little choice but to wait.

And for quite some time, she continued. Only until the sun had nearly set did the door next to her open. Quickly getting up, she came face to face with another asari. She was wearing a white lab coat, with the name Doctor Nita O'Phel engraved into a name tag just below her neck. It was difficult for Nita to look the taller woman in the eye, but she still spoke with a calm and professional demeanour.

"Immali Eodis? My colleagues and I agree that it would be better if both you and her father were in the same room when we inform you."

Immalli stared at the doctor, coldly. Carefully considering her words, she responded, "Informed us of what?"

The doctor said nothing as she escorted Immali into the office, which had a considerable number of working areas in the room. Five, by Immali's count, and those were just the desks. The operating areas were in a room located past this workspace, through a large checkpoint, into a quarantine area. Standing by the quarantine observation window, the rest of Doctor O'Phel's colleagues, all asari, stood as they quietly consulted with one another. A single gangly salarian was talking to a massive brute of a creature, almost too big for the large chair they had provided. A krogan.

Upon Immali's entrance, the krogan stood up, quickly and quietly speaking, hoping that none of the other occupants of the room could hear.

"They blame her. I don't know how they're justifying it, but they're saying it's her fault. I know it isn't true, but they're hiding something."

His ramblings were quickly cut short by doctor O'Phel.

"Mr. Skaith, it is not your place to inform Ms. Eodis of any information discussed in this room."

Skaith wheeled on her, almost knocking her out, but Immali quickly stopped her. Instead, he raised his voice, not caring about who heard anymore.

"This our daughter we 'discussed'," he made a gesture imitating quotation marks as he spoke, "so I think that the _mother_ has a right to know."

Not remotely phased, Nita simply gestured for the pair to sit down on chairs next to the observation window. As they proceeded over, the other asari doctors sat at their respective desks. The salarian stood next to Nita, as she began reading information off a datapad. Immali calmly waited for one of them to speak, but Skaith could do nothing but stare into the quarantine room.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, the salarian spoke, mostly summarizing the information on the pad.

"Given that your daughter has had no history of criminal interaction, as well as certain," he paused, looking to Nita for a moment. She nodded head, and he continued, "evidence found during the autopsy, we have no reason to believe that the death was caused by anything premeditated. What we've found is that the victim had a damaged nervous system, as well as tissue damage, similar to that caused by unprotected exposure to element zero. Your daughter claimed that she had no intention of killing the man. Given all evidence, that seemed like the truth. But his death was not caused of a simple anomaly of his internal systems. The damage must have occurred due to an exterior source."

Aggravated, Skaith turned from the window. His voice was laced with anger, yet he kept it quiet and collected. "Just get to the point. Why exactly did you put her in a quarantine bay instead of just a checkup room?"

The salarian answered the question calmly. Angering a krogan, especially one in a volatile state, was a death wish. "We believe your daughter is an Ardat Yakshi."

Immali took a single deep breathe through her nose, quickly closing her eyes, as if she had just been struck. Noticing, Skaith turned to her, and began speaking quickly again.

"Immali, what is that? Is that bad? Can it be cured? Why can't you..." He trailed off as he began noticing tears start to fall down her cheeks. "No..."

The salarian kept talking in an emotionless, professional voice as he explained. "Ardat Yakshi is a rare asari condition, in which an asari will overload the partner's nervous system during mating, killing them moments later. By maturity, when it manifests, it is untreatable. As is the case here."

Nita took over, and be "When an asari is diagnosed, she's given a choice. We have a... You would say monastery, for asari to live out their days. They are given comfort, and solitude. They can live a quiet life. Or," Nita took a deep breath, trying _very _carefully not to upset the krogan. "they are quietly expunged."

Immali had stopped crying by this point. She was now standing by the window. "She won't want to live a life of solitude."

Skaith turned on her. "So you would allow her to be sentenced to death? You would deprive our daughter any chance to have a normal life, simply because of a birth defect?"

The salarian spoke up once again, attempting to calm Skaith down. "Many children are born with irregularities, and live lives that try to circumvent it. As a krogan, you would know quite a bit about that." This had the opposite effect the salarian had intended. A fire started to burn behind Skaith's eyes.

"You don't know what's it's like to be attached to children, salarian! It doesn't surprise me that you're approaching something like this so coldly. We krogan actually value our young! And I'm not about to have my daughter ripped away from me!"

Immali loudly interjected, and shouted, "This is the way asari have always conducted themselves, Skaith! You cannot simply avoid this!"

" You would _willingly_ give her up? You don't feel a thing?"

"I cannot allow something this dangerous to be allowed to run free, Skaith! And you know as well as I do that she won't choose a life of solitude. Just let go!"

"Like hell I will! Open this door, now! I need to speak with her! Let me speak with her!" The krogan was now furiously pounding on the quarantine entrance.

The salarian turned to Nita and quietly whispered to her, "There's nothing we can do. If he starts attacking, we won't stand a chance. Maybe we should just give him what he wants."

Nita eased her colleagues' concerns, "We have more than enough biotic power in here to deal with him. He doesn't pose too much of a threat." She sighed before continuing, pitifully watching Skaith banging on the door. "Though, I don't suppose it would hurt if we let him inside."

Eager to ending the pounding of fists against the metal door, Nita slid her identification card through a reader left of the window. The sound of air flowing out of the airlock was enough to stop the krogan, who briskly marched through, awaiting the opening of the second door. As soon as he was behind the door, a sigh of relief fell over everyone in the room, with the exception of Immali, who watching intently as Skaith walked up to their daughter, who sat on a small table in the middle of the empty, sterile room.

Immali carefully watched her as Skaith came in. She had been pacing around until the point where her father had come in, at which time she had turned to him. She couldn't see out of the room, as the glass Immali and the doctors had been looking through was a one-way mirror. Still, Immali knew her daughter well, and she would know that someone was still watching. Even as she was embraced by her father, she glanced back at the window, with a cold stare on her face.

"Please don't die hating me, Carilla." Immali said, mostly as a prayer.

Within the sealed chamber, Skaith brought his arms around his daughter, dwarfing her, with him being almost twice her height. Carilla said nothing to him until he let her go. They stared at each other in a short, awkward pause until she summoned the courage to speak.

"They told you."

Skaith didn't bother dancing around the point, instead pressing towards the question which had been nagging at him since he had snapped at the salarian. "You're not going to choose a solitary life, are you?" His tone was deep and melancholy, as, deep down, he knew the answer.

Carilla put her hand on the top of her father's large faceplate, her eyes now looking at her own feet. "I can't live my entire life trapped. It would be a life of constant pain, even if I knew that I was safe. I just can't do it, dad. I'm sorry."

Trying with all his might, Skaith managed to hold back the tears from his eyes. In the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter. He'd never see his little girl again, regardless of either outcome. He couldn't bring himself to say it. "How long do you have?"

"I already told them what I decided. They'll let me stay here for the night, and then..." Her voice cracked slightly, the tears welling up in her eyes. Still, as the daughter of a krogan, she was stubborn enough not to show it.

Immali watched as the two of them spoke, watching their faces intently. Her throat hardened when she saw the two of them holding back the despair, but she didn't give in to it. She had long ago embraced the way of her people, and understood that situations like these were facts of life, and just needed to be accepted. Her old mate, Skaith, didn't share that belief, and that disconnect had led to their separation almost sixty years ago.

Carilla was eleven at the time. She had grown up being nurtured by both parents separately, as they made time for her and her alone. Though, given Immali's high stature among the Serrice Council, Carilla generally came second in the big picture of her mother's life, a fact that she had eventually resented Immali for. She had stopped talking to Immali a decade prior, a meltdown finally occurring when she moved into her own house, and out of joint custody between the parents.

Her head against the glass, watching, she remembered the last words her daughter had said to her: "Someone who puts a species above their own family is no mother of mine." It confirmed that Carilla cared more for Skaith than she ever would for Immali, but she never scolded her daughter for it. She had said that Carilla was welcome back to her home at any time, but Carilla merely slammed the door and walked out, effectively ending their relationship. Even when Carilla was in this hospital, she hadn't seen or spoken to her mother. Even when Carilla knew she wouldn't have another chance to repair things, she decided to pass. Immali knew from that fact that accepting her daughter's loss was the right thing to do. It may have been viewed as unfeeling, but it was the only thing that she could that wouldn't be self-destructive.

Skaith came back through the airlock and into the office. He was still teary-eyed, but there was no signs of crying. He simply walked to the door back into the hallway. Glaring about the empty room, the anger and anguish was clear as day on his face. He savoured a single, long, hateful glare at Immali before stepping out into the hallway. As the door began to slide shut, only then was the sound of sobbing heard, before the metal shut it out.

Carilla sat, unflinching, on the table, staring at the mirror. Eventually, she would fall asleep, but until then, she would try and drive some guilt into the hearts of those who kept her locked up.

A sudden noise startled her awake. As her eyes opened, everything was pitch black. The bright lights on the ceiling were now lifeless. Unusual, because for the two days they had kept her prior, the lights were constantly powered on. Hopeful, she sat up, and blindly made her way over to the entrance, fiddling with the handle. Miraculously, she heard a click, as the first door slid open. Smiling slyly, she tried the latch on the exterior airlock door. It, too, opened. She was now standing in a darkened room, brightened by some floor lights that led out the door. Emergency illumination. The building was on alert, and someone had cut primary power. People would probably be wary of her escape by now, but this was her one chance to slip out.

Before she had time to do anything, the sliding door was forced open, tearing the metal components completely out of the hinges. Without thinking, Carilla dived into the corner as she heard the feet of the newcomer walk about the inside of the room, and then stop. She then heard a quiet beep. The signal of a communication channel being opened.

"Power seems to be cut completely from the quarantine bay. The rest of the building is under auxiliary, but the doors in here should be out. No contingency lock down for the room?" The owner of the deep krogan's voice was unmistakable.

"Daddy!" Carilla said, standing up from behind her cover.

The large figure in the doorway let out a relieved laugh. "Cari! I brought an entire squad, we're getting you out of here!" He quickly took her by the hand pulled her into the hallway. She could now see through the window that the dark clouds were raining heavily, meaning the only thing illuminating the corridor were the emergency lights running along the floor.

As she stared into the night sky, a small piece of metal was shoved into her hands. She didn't need good lighting to tell that it was a pistol, warm from being carried around by her father. "Just point and shoot. Stay close." He said, breaking into a brisk pace to the right away from the elevators. She quickly followed, turning periodically to make sure they weren't being followed.

As they moved throughout the hospital, alarms started triggering around them. Not medical emergency alarms, as normally heard in places such as these. The alerts being tripped were military-grade security warnings, most likely pointing security details to their area. Even so, it would be at least five minutes before the police could be in the upper levels of the building. Skaith began ascending a flight of stairs, and Carilla stopped for a moment, her eyes darting around as she did.

"Up?" She asked, not looking away from the possible entrances.

"We have a shuttle on the roof and a ship waiting to take us off world. Eclipse mercenaries also have a gunship circling the building, so we're going to meet with them on the way out." He responded as he gestured for her to keep moving.

Carilla kept moving, though another question quickly crept into her head. "Eclipse? _Gunships?_ In a hospital? How much resistance are we expecting?"

Another alarm was audible just above, and Skaith changed direction by crossing into the hallways, instead of continuing the ascent. "The mercs are for the new security the authorities put up around the building for you. The gunship is for when we have to blow out a wall or two."

The information was hardly enlightening. "What kind of people put security this heavy into a _hospital?_" Carilla inquired, quickly becoming flustered.

Skaith chucked as they moved around the offices, hearing gunfire a floor above. "Your kind, actually. During the Krogan Rebellions, they started heavily fortifying hospitals. After all the fighting Lusia sees these days, they just maintain them." The unique beep or Skaith's communicator signified someone contacting him. After the message was relayed, the krogan responded quickly before entering the new stairwell. "Got it. We're four down from the roof. Cari! We've got a security detail just above and I doubt we'll be able to avoid 'em. Get ready to do some shooting!"

Just before they reached the highest level the stairs led to, Skaith quickly turned and started running back down, barking at Carilla to run. Not sure why he made the sudden turnaround, she stopped long enough to see a large, quadruped security mech slowly moving towards the door. A horrifying and ostentatious missile launcher was mounted just above its 'head', and her pistol wasn't likely to _dent _its plating, let along slow it down.

"Oh, that's just not fair!" She said as she hastily ran down the stairs after her father, who was screaming loudly into the small device in his helmet.

"There ISN'T anyone! Just fire!" He screamed, shortly before the entire floor below them collapsed. The result of an explosion caused by a large gunship now landing in the remains of three stories worth of debris. The supports for the upper levels were just barely holding the rest of the roof up. Just as the ground gave way, Skaith threw his gun aside, grabbing his daughter with both arms, protecting her from the long fall to the floor.

Using all of his concentration, Skaith managed to keep himself upright as he fell onto his legs. As they landed, Skaith shrugged off the three-story drop, completely ignoring the many fractures that was the skeletal structure of his lower body, his redundant nervous system helping him bear the pain. With the two of them climbing over the piles of rubble, the security forces were opening fire into the newly-created chamber. A small turret on the top of the gunship brought down suppressing fire, but as it waiting for its two passengers, it had little manoeuvrability.

When the two were right underneath the ship, a pair of asari wearing bright yellow armour pulled Skaith into the gunship, who's legs were finally giving out. Carilla jumped on herself, as it started to pull out of the building, and into the sky.

Breathing heavily, Skaith turned to one of the mercs, and nodded. Another one of the armoured accomplices grabbed Carilla by the shoulders and shouted in her ear, "We're not free yet. Ready?"

Before she even had time to ask what the mercenary meant, the woman holding her arms jumped out of the ship and into free fall, followed by the other two asari and the krogan. Not a second after they cleared it, the gunship exploded into a ball of fire, shrapnel flying in all directions.

Though her eyes were firmly shut, horrified of the drop, Carilla would have seen a small, inconspicuous vehicle hovering a few feet below. After two seconds in free fall, the Eclipses' boosters activated, slowing their fall considerably. A short moment later, all five landed abruptly inside small landing shuttle.

Panting, Carilla tried to speak, but the adrenaline in her system barely allowed for comprehending her situation, let alone saying anything. Instead, she waited it off as she watched the mercs remove their helmets and heavier gear, placing them on the floor.

As Skaith's panting abated, it was quickly replaced by his deep, booming laughter. His eyes were warm and cheery, and a massive smile was across his face as he looked across the seat to Carilla, who couldn't help but smile in return.

Unable to find the words to thank him, Carilla only asked, "So,_ why _exactly did you scuttle the gunship?"


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Two hundred and ten years later.

The warm evening breeze brushed the leaves of the large tree, swaying it from side to side. At its base, the water calmly rippled, causing the large blue fish beneath the surface to scatter, concealing themselves in the shade next to the rocks. A small, colourful bird eyed the fish inside the water, its talons resting on the polished stone surrounding the artificial pond. Its small beak had no chance to even reach a fish, and even if it did, the little avian couldn't possibly lift its prey out. It learned its lesson quickly as it soaked its head trying to catch dinner.

Not half a meter away, Rina watched the bird between bites of food as she sat on a bench in her front foyer. Since she had the small garden put in weeks before, she had not seen a bird come so close to the pond which supported the tree. Not knowing much about the creature, she powered up her omni-tool, its orange glow illuminating the dinner plate resting on her lap. After a few small mechanical chirps, a synthesized voice could be head from a speaker near the glass door leading inside.

"Query, madame?" The virtual intelligence obediently asked. It's voice was that of a calm, older gentleman, the supplier for the voice originating from a human. Its accent was charming and welcoming, without sounding unsettling, as Rina felt some other VI's suffered from.

Speaking with her mouth full, she didn't bother swallowing to ask, "The bird sitting on the patio there. Does it actually pose any threat to my fish?"

The response was swift, as was the common response with most VI's. "The bird is a Crested Gesir, a bird originating on the human colony world of Mindoir. Note the small electronic marker around its left leg. The specimen has been tagged and is a registered house pet for this building. The owner lives in suite 79-03." As the VI spoke, Rina rolled her eyes. It was common for VI to add excess information to an inquiry, but it still bothered her. Within time, however, the answer she was searching for came up. "No. The bird's beak is not designed for grabbing and holding onto fish which have scales similar to the skaid fish in the pond. The bird will most likely stay for a few minutes before flying to a different location. Given the likelihood that the pet is trained, suite 79-03 is the most likely destination."

Her mind at ease, Rina sat back in her seat as she finished the last of her supper. She watched the bird for a long moment before standing up, her plate in hand. As the asari walked through the courtyard, the gesir took off, startled. The glass door slid open upon her approach, and her shoes touched down on the hardwood flooring that composed the entrance to her large, penthouse apartment.

Rina Cintel was one of Illium's most mysterious asari. Despite her occupation being largely unknown, she managed to maintain a spot as one of the richest people on Illium. 45th if that year's media was to be believed. She lived in a penthouse apartment, which spanned the entire roof and penultimate floor of a large residential building, which neighboured a commercial spaceport. A centre of trade for Illium's capital city of Nos Astra. Given her wealth and location, it was the commonly accepted public guess that she was a trader of some kind. Likely one which dealt with goods coming in from the Terminus Systems, meaning that her business generally working in less-than-legal dealings. Precisely why she flourished on Illium, a world where galactic law could be circumvented for the sake of business.

The public's guess what somewhat true, given that her dealings were fundamentally illegal. In truth, however, Rina was connected to Eclipse' underground network of contacts on Illium. She worked in espionage, corporate sabotage, and occasionally physical infiltration. Still, she kept the general public on her side, with frequent donations towards bettering the city, as well as frequent public appearances, assured that the generally populaces had nothing but favourable views on her.

After dropping her plate off, she walked into her bedroom, which looked out onto her courtyard and front entrance. In a thoughtless act of paranoia, she lowered the blinds on her windows, to make sure nobody could peer in. Foolish, because her bedroom could only be viewed from a spot inside her own apartment, and she rarely had visitors. And never uninvited ones. Still, with the blinds closed, she began undressing, removing the casual outfit she had been wearing around the house earlier that day. Once she had removed her undergarments, she grabbed a towel from a cabinet and proceeded into her washroom, wherein she placed the towel on the counter, and entered the shower.

Before turning on the water, she called out to the VI again. "Manford? Set the radio to local news." Without speaking, the VI simply filled the bathroom with the sound of a commercial.

"Are you a quarian or volus tired of being," the sound quickly was overshadowed by the loud crashing of water against the glass walls of the shower. Rina called out to Manford once again.

"Yeah, Manford. Just turn it up when some actual news comes on. I'm tired of that crap." The VI didn't bother to respond. It was intelligent enough to figure out that a response would have been frivolous.

Rina stood under the water, washing herself with a gel-like cleaning agent. Periodically, she would find herself sitting under the water, letting it cool her off in the warm air that still crept in under the door.

"Sorry to bother you madame," Manford said, temporarily using the radio's speakers. "but Captain Wasea is attempting to call through. She says that it is of some urgency."

Thinking for a moment, Rina finished rinsing the last of the soap from her leg before opening the door and grabbing the towel. "Could you tell her that I will return her call in a moment?"

"Certainly, madame."

The radio was echoing off the walls again, now blaring a news story about the benefits of living at higher altitudes. Rina didn't know or care one way or the other. She stepped into her bedroom, and walked into a small walk-in closet. One of the many benefits of Rina's large funding was her ability to purchase foreign goods from all over the galactic community. Scanning the hanging formal wear, she pulled out a silky black dress. This one in particular had been imported from Earth, the human homeworld. Specifically, this design was currently popular in the streets of their country of Italy. It was fortunate that female human clothing could so easily be modified to fit asari. Rina had to body to require almost no hemming at all when she purchased it, though that was through sheer coincidence.

Rina was of average height for an asari, standing around the same stature to a human female. Her skin was a darker purple than other members of her species, and she had a number of large, scale-like splotches around her jaw and cheekbones. She was notable for having larger hips than normal, by asari standards, though her legs were lean and toned through sheer fitness training.

The dress fell comfortably to her ankles, at which point the front and back parted slightly, to show the lower section of her calf. The purple of her skin and black stitching mixed well. Satisfied, she took the accompanying pair of shoes off the door, and stepped into her office, up a single set of stairs just outside her room.

After slipping into the high-heeled shoes, she turned on her computer, as she took a seat in a large, executive's chair, before returning Wasea's call. The captain picked up almost immediately, her head being visible in holographic view.

"Rina. Good evening," her tone was respectful, though Rina could tell she had been distracted somewhat. Her words came out loosely. Wasea eyes looked Rina, or rather the holographic image the captain had on her end, up and down, before making eye contact again. "I take it you have other plans tonight, so I'll make this short. We found a volus trader who has sold us a couple thousand units of a substance they he says will increase biotic output. I'll spare you the details, but he'll be dropping the shipments off at the commercial spaceport in two days. You can make the judgement whether it is worth your time or not."

Rina smiled a businesswoman's smile, before responding. "Thank you Wasea. I'll be by then to investigate. Best of luck with your current operation, whatever it may be."

Wasea shook her head. "Hardly. We're about to take something off world... I can't talk about it, but it won't be my problem soon, so don't worry too much. We'll be in touch, Rina."

The call was cut shortly thereafter. Satisfied with the information, Rina made a note to make time for Wasea's shipment before leaving. The captain was a trusted contact of Rina's, time and time again working as a valuable informant, as well as being a considerably powerful biotic.

Standing up, Rina activated her omni-tool once again, locking down the rooms in her home as she walked back into the courtyard, out her front door, and on to the elevator. Without much thought, she gazed at her apartment one last time before the elevator departed. It was going to be a long night.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The limousine was more ostentatious than what Rina was generally used to using for transportation, but the occasion that night called for some extra luxuries. Normally, Rina's public appearances were limited. Circumstances that generally included public speaking and large sums of money being tossed about, instead of hors doeuvres, music, and crowds. Especially crowds. Rina never did like being too close to the populace. A type of paranoia, that someone would find out secrets about her simply by being too close. All in her head, of course, but it didn't stop her from normally shutting down invitations to lavish parties and banquets, such as the one being held at the Everett-Nassia Hall.

Everett-Nassia itself was a marvel of architecture, built by the twin minds of the human designer Paul Everett, and his business partner and significant other, Nassia B'Sali. The structure itself was a large dome-shaped building resting in the lower elevations of Nos Astra. The exterior ring functioned more as corridors surrounding the actual auditorium, which was a massive multi-story chamber, capable of housing thousands. A single, massive pillar ran the length of the chamber, filling the cylindrical chamber with light, advertisements, or anything that could be projected from the single, enormous screen. Massive waterfalls fell from the roof, which was itself a marvel. An entire ecosystem was built into the upper structure, simulating a miniature rainforest. Breathtaking was just the beginning with the Everett-Nassia.

Rina turned her nose up at the overcomplicated design. Overcompensation, in her opinion. She had always felt that simplicity made beautifully was far more difficult, and intriguing, than simply throwing every design cliche in the book at it. No, Rina was not visiting the Everett-Nassia for the sightseeing. She had other plans when she had received the invitation.

The celebration at hand was an enormous gala hosted yearly in recognition of Paul's own input to Nos Astra's skyline. Rina found the way it was generally advertised as pompous and arrogant, but she knew, on a reasonable level, that it was really a way for Paul to further put footholds for humanity's place in the galaxy. Even then, Rina did not simply attend this gala because she had a soft spot for humanity. One would have to _pay _Rina Cintel to attend an occasion like this.

Curious, then, was the fact that she _was _paid to come to the banquet. Paid a hefty sum of money, in fact. Of course, she was not hired to enjoy shrimp cocktail or take advantage of an open bar, Rina was sure she could partake in better at home, courtesy of her own cooking, or private purchases. She was here on business, for a client of hers. Someone in need of her espionage services.

Stepping through the lavishly decorated halls, she entered the massive central chamber, which was now holding an ocean of bodies. She could make out members of many species within the masses, not simply members of her own kind. Next to the asari, humans were the second most prominent within the crowd, followed by salarians. Scattered about was the odd drell, turian, or hanar. Security, the Eclipse Security Corps, to be specific, who sported black armour, instead of their staple yellow.

Loud, bass-heavy music filled the multi-tiered room, which went up for some distance before foliage obscured the roof. From her scans of the building, the forested area up above was two-stories in height, and could be navigated on foot, though this was primarily for the maintenance staff. Rina noted the of the location, as well as keeping her eye on the service elevators and stair wells.

As she ascended through the tiers, Rina felt her throat dry up, possibly from the dry air present that evening. Luckily, a bar sat next to the opposing stairwell, tended by a voluptuous human woman. A number of human males, and, amusingly enough, an asari, were making flirtatious conversation with her, as they placed their second or third orders for drinks. As Rina approached, the bartender nodded at her, quickly turning from the drunk asari who had just made a crude comment about her chest. _That one's father must be a krogan, _Rina thought, before she placed an order.

"Something acidic. Non-alcoholic, if you've got." Short of raising an eyebrow, the bartender didn't give much other reaction. She quickly ducked behind the bar, the sound of bottles knocking against each other being barely audible over the music. In another moment, she was in view again, and poured the clear green liquid into a stout, simply glass. Smiling, Rina took it from the counter, and took a seat, looking away from the bar and into the room.

Rina reached into her pocket, removing large white tablet. Dropping it into the glass, it began to dissolve in the citrus juice that composed the green beverage. Downing the drink in one gulp, she made a sour face as she felt the dissolving pill slide down her throat. Placing the glass back down on the counter, Rina tapped the bartender's shoulder. She turned, and gestured towards the empty glass.

"More?" She asked Rina, who shook her head calmly.

"No thanks. Do you know where there's a balcony? I need a smoke." Rina responded, as she stood up. The bartender gestured to the stairs next to her. Following her finger, the asari saw a glass door left half opened, leading outside. Rina nodded her thanks, and began ascending the stairs, stepping outside.

The balcony looked out onto the city, facing towards the Dantius Towers, a pair of business structures, one of which was still under construction. Aside from the one window, there were no other ways to see onto the balcony, which extended along the edge of the building for quite a number of meters. Taking a deep breath, Rina used this as her opportunity.

Opening the large purse she had been carrying, she took out a well-folded bodysuit. Not bulletproof, but far more effective at infiltration than a low-cut dress. Closing the balcony door, she hugged the outside wall of the building, rapidly dressing. The dress, in actuality an undergarment for the suit itself, was quickly hidden from view as Rina donned the leathers. Her head still exposed, she pulled the suit's hood over her head, and zipped up the front, completely covering her scalp, face, and neck. No part of Rina's flesh was out in the open air anymore, and her only methods of sight were the two glowing eyes of the goggles attached to the front of her reconnaissance hood.

_Time to get to work. _She thought, before throwing the switch on her glove, activating the cloaking device implanted into the suit. Phasing out of normal sight, Rina placed her hand on the metallic walls of the building, and began hoisting herself up, ascending the exterior wall. Magnetic discs on the tips of her fingers kept her attached to the wall as she moved higher and higher, feeling the wind picking up as she went.

Behind her goggles, Rina's eyes darted about, checking the many status indicators on the heads-up-display in her synthesized vision. Notes about her vitals, her cloak's energy (at fifty percent and dropping, as she had it active), and a wire-frame view of the building.

The graph indicated an outcrop leading into the heating units for the artificial forest roughly fifteen meters up. From there, she could enter the upper forested area. Access had been restricted to that area for the party, so she wouldn't have to worry about running into the party guests. Of course, the same would be true for anyone else currently inside the rainforest.

The cloak had just powered down as Rina hoisted herself onto the ledge. From her perch she made note of a small door, which led directly into the heating ducts. Unsurprisingly, the door was equipped with a light security lock. Seeing no difficulty in hacking the door, Rina ran her omni-tool over the console, read to force the security system down. Surprisingly, she realized the door had been opened twice, within 30 seconds of one another, less than two minutes before. Likely security staff. Rina cursed under her breath. There were only two reasons why security would be called up here. Either Rina had made a mistake, making herself conspicuous, or someone else had. Either way, Rina didn't like the odds of something going wrong.

Sliding the door open, she stepped into the heating controls centre. A thin, long tunnel, likely running the circumference of this level. Pumps on either side kept the heat-flow stable for the vegetation one level above. Periodic exits lined the tunnel, leading onto a series of catwalks, leading into the upper levels. Taking one of these exits, Rina climbed the wall to the next level up, taking footing on the soft, loamy ground that comprised this floor. More catwalks were present, but these were more decorative, designed for tours, most likely.

Taking cover underneath a conveniently placed tree, Rina did a sweep of her surroundings. Her scans picked up multiple life-signs, though many were just plant. It was the presence a strange heat signature which interested her. A human body was lying on one of the branches of the tree above her, contorted unpleasantly. Likely she had fallen some distance before hitting the branch.

Her attempts to piece together who had killed the human were short-lived, however, when she saw a second life-sign perched on the highest catwalk in the garden. It didn't take much detective skills from there to realize the intentions. A sniper rifle rested in the right hand of the figure, who sat unflinching on the upper level, a mask obscuring their features.

Rina had to give credit to this assassin. Whoever they were, they knew what they were doing. The exits were covered, they had kept the bodies hidden, and they wouldn't be easy to approach. Unless someone had been tipped of to their arrival, their job would have been quick and simple.

A pity, then, that Rina had been tipped off their arrival eliminate them. More specifically, to stop them from ending the life of one Inoste Helra. A salarian scientist credited with amazing breakthroughs in genetic engineering. Specifically, the steps he had made towards curing Ardat-Yakshi. His efforts had never been fully successful, but he had been able to isolate and eradicate certain cells commonly associated with the condition.

Someone, under an alias, had given Rina the assassination details, as well as an offer for a moderate sum of cash to eliminate the target. The job wasn't normally what Rina was up for, but given certain circumstances, she accepted it.

Now cloaked, Rina climbed the tree quietly, approaching the sniper hastily and quietly. However, without warned, they quickly turned on Rina, opening fire with a three-round burst from the rifle. Rina narrowly avoided the shot, and lifted herself onto the catwalk. Another three round burst hit Rina's light kinetic barrier, reducing it's integrity considerably. Fortunately, Rina was closing the distance with the assassin quickly enough to disarm them. The rifle fell to the foliage below, and the sniper was knocked back again by a forceful kick in the head. Unexpectedly, however, Rina did not feel as it she had kicked flesh behind a mask, but had instead kicked solid metal. Removing her pistol from its holster, the asari shot her opponent in the leg. Shocking, that instead of blood, or a wound of any kind, sparks flew out of the considerable hole within the calf.

The mechanized operative wasn't phased by the attack, instead, lunging forward, thrusting it's bladed hand into Rina's arm. She managed to deflect the attack, but not in time to prevent a considerable wound in her arm. Blood covering the droid's hand, it stepped back, in an attempt to retrieve its rifle. A programming error, likely, and Rina shot it a few more times until it ceased to function, lying helpless, on the ground.

"Never send a robot to do _my _job." Rina said, as she bent down to check for any information as to who would have sent this droid. Apart from the common manufacturer, who sold thousands of these cheap mechs weekly, the robot was untraceable. Unsurprising, since that was the primary appeal of those anonymous mechs. Untraceable was a popular perk to almost all devices on Illium. Plus, Rina wouldn't have to time to trace _anything _that night...


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Quite a distance from the Everett-Nassia lay a commercial neighbourhood. Hundreds of people came through, arriving or departing Nos Astra each day. For those who lived in the area, it was a hotbed of activity, with business being conducted on every level of profitability. At the same time, all those in the area knew another truth. The entire district was under complete control by the Eclipse Sisterhood. Criminal activity in the area was ever ascending, and the police were in a constant, and unbeatable war to keep the peace in the area.

Seated at a café table, amongst the general populace, was a human man, enjoying a mug of some hot drink, steam pouring off the cup. His attention was directed toward an image being projected in front of his right eye, courtesy of a small eyepiece. To everyone else, it seemed to be a simply a flurry of small blue lights. Simply a technique used to keep the user's information private however, as he was able to see a much more cohesive image. The man was viewing a number of images at once, pertaining to interior scans of the building opposing his current position, a dossier of specific persons, and a digital clock for good measure.

As he reached for another sip of his beverage, an alarming chirp sounded in his ear. Letting out a short sigh, he tapped a small button near his earpiece as he leaned back in his chair.

"Hello?" He asked, calmly. Purely a formality. He knew exactly who was on the other line.

"Move it. You're wasting time." The voice on the other line said, a hint of irritation underlying their tone.

"You aren't tracking me. I checked." As he responded, he breathed in the aroma of the coffee. A good cup was hard to come by this far from human-controlled space, and this particular mug wasn't even decent. Few aliens really enjoyed coffee as humans did, some claiming it violated their ability to taste. In a certain light, they were not wrong.

"We traced the account you are using for this operation. I have no qualms against using employer money as material costs once in a while, but you are not using your time effectively."

"You needn't worry. I'm simply monitoring the situation. I was on my way over when you called." The man stood, leaving the mug on the table. "I'll have your information by early morning. Evening, I guess it would be to you." Timing between planets was tricky business. "Speak to you then."

"Hurry it up." The speaker's attitude did not seem to be improving.

Without giving it much thought, the human killed the signal as he stepped onto a service elevator, and leaving the public eye.

The last of the sunlight had left hours ago, turning the entire skyline of Illium into a showcase of artificial, yet beautiful lighting. The darkened walls of the hanger were no better hidden during the night than under the glare of the sun during daylight. Even so, Eclipse soldiers moved about the platform, maintaining a tight perimeter around a small transport ship, which lay suspended from the ceiling in the middle of the bay. Guard barricades had been setup around each entrance, with six soldiers holding position at each door. A pair of large turrets faced outward into the sky, performing routine checks for possible hostiles. The area below the ship was setup as a command post, with a number of people hovering around a central desk. Seated at that table was a tall, well-armoured asari woman, who watched the security feed from cameras placed all about compound like a hawk. Occasionally, she would bark an order before returning to her workstation.

Taking a short break from monitoring cameras, she turned to her first lieutenant. A slight twitch was visible under her eye, indicating a lack of sleep. "Where is she?"

The shorter woman was quick to respond. "Sorry Captain. There was a scuffle at the checkpoint. A couple of cops. She took care of them without anyone actually sighting anything."

The captain gave her a stern look before continuing. "Notify me immediately, next time. How long until she is ready to depart."

Another immediate response was all she needed. "She will be down here in two minutes, along with the escort crew. Another fifteen before the ship is ready to leave."

The captain frowned. Twenty minutes was a long time, relatively speaking, and the fact that the Eclipse had been conducting this operation for over two hours now compromised their position. Before she had time to respond, a quick communication had come through to her post.

"Captain Wasea. This is Dakni Kur. We have taken the shipment to the specified coordinates. We will wait for you to complete the transaction a total of seventy two hours. Do not worry, as the shipment is well secured." Wasea smiled as she saw the message. Finally, some good news. Unusual for a volus to contact her so directly, even if she _had _given him authorization.

Turning to her first lieutenant again, Wasea informed her of the delivery.

"Understood, Captain. As well, our friend is on the way down now. She would like to speak with you when she gets here."

Wasea's expression did not change, but she could not help feeling somewhat bothered by the request. Fear was not something she was used to dealing with. Even so, she would meet with the person they would take off world as she requested.

_Anything to get her out of here. Wasea thought to herself as she grabbed her pistol and marched towards the exit._

Sitting on the inside of a cooling vent overlooking the hanger sat the man from the café. He viewed the scene through the scope of a long-barrel rifle, which he kept well hidden from the dozens of guards below. Unfortunately for him, his target sat on a table in the very centre of the ops centre. The Eclipse database containing all the necessary information about this operation.

The man had absolutely no idea how he was going to get to the computer, but he did know when he would try. The ship they were preparing, the AML Demeter, was going to launch at some point, at which time the facility would be on high alert for any exterior problems. However, if he could somehow commandeer one of the large anti-air turrets, he might be able to lay down enough suppressing fire to clear the ops centre. It wasn't a great plan, but it was his only viable option by this time.

Seeing a pair of figures making their way across the platform, the man knew his planning time was running out. The captain of the Eclipse, Wasea, was walking towards the large ship. Behind her walked an asari quite obviously not of the Eclipse. To an ignorant eye, it could have been anyone, however, the man with the rifle knew exactly what she was, and why the mercenaries were going to such lengths to take her off world. This woman was Ardat-Yakshi.


	5. Chapter 4

_((Yes. I'm back. Sorry if there are an discrepancies between this and earlier chapters, I'm trying for a bit of a re-tool here.))_

**Chapter 4**

Still in the vent, the man with the rifle sat, eyeing the Ardat-Yakshi through the scope. His eyepiece started feeding him information, causing him to shift focus from the cross hair.

"Employer, this is Tartaros," he whispered into his mouthpiece. "The target has not left Illium. Repeat, the Ardat-Yakshi has not left Illium. Request re-evaluation of..." He trailed off as the asari in his sights began to turn towards him, finally giving him a solid view of her face. More information began scrolling across his eyepiece, and he almost dropped the gun with surprise.

"Tartaros, your orders are to eliminate the target. Avoiding detection is no longer even a secondary objective, you have firing clearence,-" the one known as Tartaros waved his hand around theatrically.

"Shut up, shut up! That's not her," Tartaros said with surprise, the facial-recognition in his visor failing to get a file on the asari standing with the eclipse. "It's someone else."

"What?" Exclaimed the voice on the other line. "How do you know? We don't even know what she looks like!"

"The scan was successful, that's how I know! This is an entirely different person! Though the Eclipse said she was an Ardat-Yakshi in their channels..." Tartaros grasped his rifle tighter, aiming at the platform, watching the Eclipse load the stranger onto the ship. "Permission to fire?"

"Hold on, we're running facial recognition now."

"I don't have time to hold on, yes or no?" He was becoming noticeably exasperated.

"Hold fire! Repeat! Hold fire! That's a justiciar! That is an asari justiciar, _not_an Ardat-Yakshi!" Tartaros went so far as to put the safety on the gun, for fear of accidentally putting a bullet in her head. "What's she doing working with the Eclipse? I thought justiciars had a zero-tolerance policy regarding that!"

"I have no idea, all the software is recognizing is that the scan you gave us is of Justiciar Samara. We don't know what she's doing there."

Tartaros began collapsing his weapon, returning to the main duct system to take him out of the Eclipse base. "Lovely. So the Demeter was a dead end?"

"Looks that way... Head back to the hotel. We'll call you when we figure out our next step."

It was the middle of the night when Rina finally got home, the elevator opening into her roof garden. Smooth magenta lighting gave the pond in the centre an eerie, mystical glow, which reflected along the walls of the courtyard in wondrous patterns. None of which was appreciated by Rina as she stepped inside her apartment proper, her hand clutching her head. "I hope the party went well, and that Inoste Helra is still alive."

"Later Manford. I need a detox," she said as she stepped into her kitchen, the dirty plate from earlier still sitting in the sink. She ignored it, opening a large holographic interface on her counter, which displayed a password input screen. As she typed in the password, the VI's voice filled the apartment, echoing against the windows.

"Is there a problem, madame?" Despite being a machine, there were concerned intonations in the synthetic words.

"I was a little late on the dose this evening, and I was a tad stingy. The headaches are in full force tonight." Her hands danced across the screen, passing several password locks before a large green button appeared in the centre of the frame. "I'll have to be getting more thorough with my doses soon."

"Why, Ms. Cintel?" Manford didn't usually ask questions, but as a creature with limited intelligence, that did come with some degree of curiosity.

"I received captain Wasea's report a few hours ago after the Helra job. The substance she's receiving is massive. At least five years worth, by my calculations." Rina pressed the green icon, and her kitchen set on the back wall began to slide over to the right, revealing a small medical cabinet.

"You have supply of Delnimag OF-20 to last you through until the next _fiscal_year, and only if you stop running bi-weekly decontaminations. Your next opportunity to synthesize more is not for another 10 months. Your current supply will not last that long, and given our history with Mr. Pol Dalan, you will not be receiving more before such time. Even with your current assets available to you, which you have expressed to remain unused on large projects for the time being, it is unlikely that you will be able to find _and_interrupt Dalan on his expedition."

Rina was largely ignoring her VI as she took a syringe from the cabinet filled with a murky white substance, pressing the needle to her skin. "Then what do you suggest, Manford? It isn't as if I can try dropping the OF-20."

"I would suggest not taking any more doses of Minagen X3, thereby extending the potency of the countermeasure by at least threefold. It should last you just to that 10 month mark."

The asari smiled, closing the cabinet and hiding it again from the terminal, her kitchen returning to normal. She rubbed her shoulders, stepping into her bedroom across the way. "It's a pleasure to hear you worrying about me so, Manford. Don't worry. I already know where Dalan is."

"You have no such information stored on file." If one listened ever-so-closely, they could hear a little bit of sass to the VI's words.

"Actually, I do. You'll see a payment to one Geana Warehousing Limited on my account, made about four days ago. Geana Warehousing Limited is not actually a legitimate firm. It's a front for the Shadow Broker. I should have Dalan's location by tomorrow."


End file.
